SHOWDOWN ON WAY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 134, 18 March 1948, Page 5

SHOWDOWN ON WAY

ATMOSPHERE IN WASHINGTON

“Boil Will Soon Be Lanced” (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright). (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, Mar. 17 “To put it bluntly, the atmosphere in Washington to-day is a pre-war atmosphere,” says the well-known Washington columnists, Joseph and Stewart Alsop, in an article in the “New York Herald Tribune.” . “That is not to say that war with the Soviet is necessarily either inevitable or imminent, but it is now universally admitted that war within the next few months is certainly possible.

“It is believed that some sort of showdown is on the way, and that for better or for worse the boil will soon be lanced. The showdown may come anywhere round the vast Soviet perimeter and at any time. Yet most observers believe it is most likely to come in Italy soon after the elections on April 18.” Republican leaders in the House of Representatives moved lhst night, on the eve of President Truman’s foreign policy address, for an extended military spending programme to provide the United States armed forces with “absolutely everything needed” for national security. Full Military Budget The Republicans’ leaders agreed on the need for voting the full military budget of 11,000,000,000 dollars requested by President Truman, together with an undisclosed increase in Air Force appropriations: A meeting of party leaders summoned by the President has now been cancelled. Mr Truman yesterday invited the President' of 'The Senate (Senator Arthur Vandenburg), the Speaker of the House of Representa tives (Mr Joseph Martin), the Senate Democratic leader (Senator Allien Barkley) and the House Democratic leader (Mr Samuel Rayburn) to meet him at the White House to-day before he delivers his address to Congress. Senator Vandenberg and Senator Barkley said, however, that they must attend the meeting of the -Foreign Relations Committee on Greek and Turkish military aid. Mr Martin, who said that he was willing to attend President Truman’s meeting, added that the Republican leaders in the House were going ahead on their own initiative to stiffen American resist ance to Communist expansion. “Quell War Hysteria” An appeal to Congressional committees to “quell war hysteria” was made last night' by Mr Henry AVallace. Referring to President Truman’s decision to address a joint session of Congress, Mr Wallace said: “There is no evidence that any nation has threatened our national security. Yet the President and members of his Cabinet act as though a war crisis were imminent. The people look to Congress for calmness and sanity.” Mr Wallace said that the international crisis had been caused by a complete failure of the Truman Doctrine throughout the ; world. He added: “The way out is to renounce that doctrine as the basis of our foreign policy.” “The constant advance of-the Iron Curtain across Europe has created a grave crisis in our international relations,” said Mr Martin in a statement, to journalists yesterday. “There is no reason for the American people to he other than perfectly calm, as we all strive for • peace. However, we must do all we can as individuals, to make America strong and secure so that we may more effectively promote peace. “In this issue, where civilisations fate is at stake, we must spare no efforft to be sure of the outcome. We must build up our naval and military establishments. AVe must build and maintain a mighty air defence We must have the strongest navy on the seas.” Emphasising that consequences ol a Communist victory in Italy would he serious, Mr Martin appealed to all Americans of Italian descent to write to their relatives in Italy urging the defeat of the Communist Party.